Assessing the cargo and taking care of its safety, selecting transport, monitoring the condition of the cargo during transportation is a small part of what the freight forwarder’s job is. If you do not coordinate operations, at best you will miss delivery deadlines, at worst you will lose a significant part of your profit. 

Imagine a company that sells meat products at retail outlets. For delivery, we ordered 10 tilt trucks that would transport goods from point A to B. It turned out that only 5 trucks were needed to transport all the products. The transport arrived at the same time, so you need to pay extra for downtime. During transportation, the truck body heated up to 20+ °C. All factors are small, but in total we get an overpayment for the number of machines and downtime, damaged products that will not be bought. We get the conclusion: transport and logistics are important elements of companies’ activities.

To help avoid mistakes, we’ll tell you how to plan loads and choose a vehicle. 

Types of transport in logistics: how to choose the right one

All trucks are similar: they are roomy, large-sized and have a body for transportation. But the safety of the cargo on the road depends on what type of transport you choose. 

Which vehicles help deliver goods on time. 

Refrigerator

This vehicle helps transport products with the required temperature conditions over the longest distances. For example, the company Divine Interprises on divinetrans.com uses similar vehicles to transport medicines. The goods will not spoil – the refrigerator is equipped with a freezing and heating unit. The temperature inside the body can be adjusted independently, from -25 to +25 °C.

The installation that regulates the temperature is located above the driver’s cabin. 

If you need to monitor the temperature of the product along the entire journey, thermoscribers (temperature recorders) are connected to the refrigerator. The devices constantly record the temperature and provide information. In Europe, the use of thermal recorders for all refrigerators is clearly regulated. 

Advantages of refrigerators

• The only vehicle that will deliver products with strict temperature storage conditions, regardless of the remoteness of the destination;
• There are solutions for different cargo volumes, for example, semi-trailers with a carrying capacity of up to 20 tons. 

Cons of refrigerators

• Expensive to operate – uses a lot of fuel, often breaks down due to condensation accumulation and temperature changes. 

Another interesting variation of a refrigerator is a van with partitions. For example, cargo with a temperature of +0°C is transported in one zone, and -20°C in another. 

Curtain transport

They ply the roads of the world in huge numbers. A distinctive feature is that the body is covered with an awning. The truck cover can be removed and products can be loaded in any way. 

Pros of curtainsider trucks

• Allows you to load goods in any way;
• Budget-friendly and easy to use;
• Transports almost any type of cargo. 

Disadvantages of curtainsider trucks

• Not suitable for transporting goods that require special temperature conditions;
• If the truck’s dimensions do not match the size of the load, tie-down problems may occur. 

The design of tilt trucks is as simple as possible; due to ease of operation, many enterprises purchase this particular type of transport. 

Isothermal van 

Forwarders call it “thermos” for short . This characterizes the purpose of an isothermal van. The vehicle body is made of sandwich panels, which help maintain the temperature inside for some time. To insulate walls, floors and ceilings, thermal insulation materials (for example, polystyrene foam) are used. 

Advantages of isothermal vans

• Maintains the temperature inside the body for a short time;
• Suitable for transporting almost all types of cargo. 

Cons of isothermal vans

• Transports products sensitive to storage conditions only over short distances;
• Rear loading only. 

Isothermal vans are the best option for perishable products. 

All metal van

These are “workhorses”. They are used to transport goods in small quantities. They often deliver products to stores, help transport furniture, and so on. 

Pros of an all-metal van

• Versatility;
• Easy to use. 

Cons of an all-metal van

• Wheel arches can reduce transport space;
• Not suitable for specialized transport. 

Flatbed truck

These are powerful vehicles that are capable of transporting non-standard types of cargo. Unlike other types of transport, they do not have a roof, and the sides fold down for ease of loading. Logisticians often call flatbed trucks “boats” because they are similar in design to boats . This type of transport transports exclusively goods that are not susceptible to weather conditions.

Pros of a flatbed truck

• Ability to transport non-standard cargo;
• Convenient for loading due to folding sides;
• Huge load capacity (up to 20 tons). 

Cons of a flatbed truck

• Used only for the transportation of specific goods;
• For safe transportation, the cargo must be carefully secured. 

About boot types and why they matter

The task was set: to load large-sized spare parts using a crane. How to do this quickly and not damage the cargo? If you know what types of downloads there are, the answer will become obvious.

There are 3 ways to load cargo into a vehicle:

• Above.  When loading from the top, the roof of the truck bed must be open. This is the only way to load large cargo onto vehicles using a crane. 

• On the side.  Side loading involves the open right or left side of the vehicle body. In this way, it is convenient to load pallets with a forklift or a hydraulic trolley (rocla) together with a ramp. 

• Behind.  The most popular and only download method in some European countries. Rear loading is used for all types of goods, packaged, palletized, etc. It simplifies the work of all participants in the process. 

Knowing how to load a vehicle will help reduce the time for this process, make it as comfortable as possible for everyone and avoid damaging the goods.